This disclosure relates generally to wireless communication devices, networks, and services, and more particularly to devices, networks, and methods for displaying information on a wireless communication device.
Since the discovery of two-way radios, wireless communications has continuously evolved. Over the last two decades, cellular telephones have become increasingly popular and widely used. As the number of users has increased, the rates for airtime have decreased, further expanding the market of users of cellular telephones. However, the increasing number of users of cellular telephones and the lower rates for services have put financial pressure on wireless service providers. In particular, wireless service providers have had to invest in new networks to increase capacity to handle the additional users, while their profit margins have decreased due to competition leading to reduced rates for service.
In order to address capacity and profit margin issues caused by the increased number of subscribers and the reduced margins on services, wireless service providers have adopted digital cellular telephone networks, such as TDMA, CDMA or GSM networks. Such networks not only have enabled more users on a network, but also have enabled additional features, such as email, short messaging service (SMS), enhanced messaging service (EMS), or multimedia messaging service (MMS) messaging, which are well known in the art of cellular communications. More importantly, GPRS, EGDE, CDMA2000 and its derivatives, or other advanced networks have enabled a considerable increase in data or information content provided to wireless communication devices. GPRS is generally a feature of current digital cellular telephone networks that enables an xe2x80x9calways-onxe2x80x9d service for wireless communication devices. That is, GPRS enables the display of data or information on a cellular telephone instantaneously and continuously in a fashion which is similar to a computer user on the Internet using a T-1 line, which is well known in the art.
Similarly, in order to increase the sale of cellular telephones, manufacturers and wireless service providers have been promoting new cellular telephones with color displays, also called color screens. Such new cellular telephones are intended to increase sales both through the sale of phones to new subscribers or replacement phones for existing subscribers. The color displays on the new cellular telephones enable the transfer of new types of data, such as pictures or photographs.
However, while such phones are being offered, no user interfaces, networks or services are providing features which can both increase the use of the wireless communication device or increase revenues for service providers. That is, while such improvements as color displays on cellular telephones and new networks such as GPRS or CDMA 2000 and its derivatives exist, conventional cellular telephones and services provided by wireless service providers are significantly deficient in providing new content which is adapted to be displayed by a color display on a cellular telephone or transmitted on an xe2x80x9calways-onxe2x80x9d network, such as a GPRS network. Similarly, the user interfaces of such conventional cellular telephones are not adapted to display the new content which could be provided to color displays on cellular telephones. More importantly, many parties who enable the provision of content and services to users of wireless communication devices are missing significant revenue opportunities. That is, because of the lack of features for wireless communication devices and services provided by wireless service providers, wireless service providers, content providers, Internet service providers, and others are missing opportunities for generating additional revenue for their content or services.
As more people wish to carry a wireless communication device such as cellular telephone with them, there is a greater demand for smaller devices. However, at the same time, there is an increased demand for more content to be provided to users to increase revenue to service providers. With smaller devices, it is becoming increasingly difficult to provide more content to the devices. One significant barrier is the size of the display on current wireless communication devices. Further, the user interfaces currently provided are inadequate for enabling the display of content on a wireless communication device.
Accordingly, there is a need for a wireless communication device for displaying a greater amount of content, and methods for displaying a greater amount of content to a wireless communication device.
Accordingly, there is a need for an improved wireless communication device for enabling the display of a greater amount of content and features provided on wireless communication networks.
There is a further need for improved wireless communication networks for providing a greater amount of content to a user of a wireless communication device.
There is a further need for improved wireless communication service features for providing a greater amount of content to user of a wireless communication device.
Finally, there is a need for methods of generating revenue for advanced wireless communication networks which provide service to new wireless communication devices, such as cellular telephones having a plurality of displays.
Accordingly, there is a need for devices, networks and methods for providing a greater amount of content to a wireless communication device.